Vermont

PMHNP Practice Requirements In Vermont: Scope, Prescribing & Collaboration

Short answer: AANP lists Vermont as full practice, so a PMHNP needs no career long physician agreement, only a formal collaborative provider agreement with an experienced Vermont APRN, MD or DO until reaching 24 months and 2,400 hours (26 V.S.A. § 1613; Rules 9-8, 9-9). Neither the Nurse Practice Act nor the Board rules carve out controlled substance schedules for APRNs, so you prescribe under your DEA registration and query VPMS per 18 V.S.A. § 4289.

Vermont PMHNP Rules At A Glance

Topic	Vermont Rule
Practice authority	Full practice on the AANP map. An APRN is licensed to perform acts of medical diagnosis and to prescribe medical, therapeutic or corrective measures under Board rules (26 V.S.A. § 1572; Rule 9-17(c)).
Transition to practice	Formal collaborative provider agreement until 24 months and 2,400 hours in your initial role and population focus, or 12 months and 1,600 hours for an added focus; no solo practice until then (26 V.S.A. § 1613; Rule 9-8).
Transition period	Your collaborating provider may be a Vermont APRN, MD or DO with at least four years in the same role and population focus, serving as advisor, mentor and consultant; qualifying hours earned outside Vermont count (Rules 9-9, 9-10; Board FAQ).
Controlled substances	No APRN specific schedule carve out appears in the Nurse Practice Act or Board rules; the APRN scope includes prescribing medications, and the Board FAQ notes you need a separate DEA registration for Vermont (Rule 9-17(c)(3); Board FAQ).
PDMP	Query VPMS the first time you prescribe an opioid Schedule II through IV drug for chronic pain, when starting pain therapy of 90 days or more, before a replacement prescription, and annually during ongoing opioid treatment (18 V.S.A. § 4289).
Regulator	Vermont Board of Nursing, Office of Professional Regulation, Secretary of State. It licenses APRNs, receives your transition to practice attestation, and adopted the APRN rules in Part 9 under 26 V.S.A. Chapter 28.

Updated October 5, 2026

Practice Authority

Vermont Practice-Authority Category (Full Practice)

AANP currently lists Vermont as a full practice state on its State Practice Environment map. In practice, PMHNPs there evaluate and diagnose patients, order and interpret tests, and start and manage treatment, including prescribing, under the exclusive licensure authority of the Vermont Board of Nursing. The state doesn’t require a career-long collaborative or supervisory agreement. An initial transition-to-practice period may apply before fully independent practice.

The AANP State Practice Environment map shows how Vermont compares nationally, and AANP’s practice information by state adds state-specific detail. The rules you’re held to come from the Vermont Board of Nursing.

Collaboration

Is A Collaborative Or Supervisory Agreement Required?

In Vermont, there’s no ongoing, career-long collaborative or supervisory agreement to maintain. Look at the start of your career, though. Some full practice states require a defined transition-to-practice period, supervised or collaborative, before an NP practices fully independently, and state rule sets whether one applies to you, how long it runs and how it’s documented.

Want to see what these arrangements usually include? Our guide to PMHNP collaborative practice agreements walks through it in plain language, and the PMHNP scope of practice by state overview covers the rules in other states.

Prescriptive Authority

Prescriptive Authority And Controlled Substances

Prescriptive authority in Vermont comes once you meet the state’s requirements, and it can cover controlled substances when the conditions are met. You’ll also need a separate federal DEA registration for controlled substances, and some carry additional federal or state conditions. The Vermont Board of Nursing and state law set the scope, any limits and the documentation, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration covers the federal side.

Next Step

Credentialing Is A Separate Track

Scope of practice is only half of it. Getting paid by insurance in Vermont means credentialing, and that track has its own payer rules, Medicaid program and enrollment timelines. Our Vermont credentialing and payer enrollment page walks through it, and the PMHNP credentialing guide covers the national side.

Planning to open on your own? Our guide on how to start a PMHNP practice and the 90-day launch checklist lay out licensure, collaboration and enrollment step by step. A Vermont launch needs a budget as much as a plan, so read what PMHNP credentialing costs and what it costs to start a PMHNP practice.

If you want help with the setup itself, First Practice Launch handles payer enrollment, the EHR, portals and billing for a first practice at $6,000, or four monthly payments of $1,500.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Can A PMHNP Practice Independently In Vermont?

Yes, after the transition period. An APRN with fewer than 24 months and 2,400 hours of licensed APRN practice in the initial role and population focus must hold a formal collaborative provider agreement and may not practice solo (26 V.S.A. § 1613). Once you reach both marks you notify the Board, keep the Board’s completion form, and the agreement requirement falls away (Rule 9-8(a)).

Does My Collaborating Provider In Vermont Have To Be A Physician?

No. A Vermont licensed APRN, medical doctor or osteopathic physician can serve, as long as they are actively licensed in good standing and has at least four years of practice in your same role and population focus (Rule 9-9). The provider signs a written agreement to serve as advisor, mentor and consultant and takes part in quality assurance (Rule 9-10). You can have more than one, and you can’t work in a setting with no other APRN or physician available for consultation during the transition (Rule 9-8(b)).

Can A PMHNP Prescribe Adderall In Vermont?

Yes, as far as Vermont nursing law is concerned. The APRN scope includes prescribing medications, and neither 26 V.S.A. Chapter 28 nor the Board rules limit APRNs to particular controlled substance schedules (Rule 9-17(c)). You need a DEA registration for Vermont (Board FAQ), a collaborative provider agreement if you’re still in transition, and VPMS queries when the opioid rules in 18 V.S.A. § 4289 are triggered.

This is general information, not legal advice. It applies the general nurse practitioner rules in Vermont to PMHNPs, and those rules aren’t the same for every role. Rules change, so check with the Vermont Board of Nursing and the AANP State Practice Environment map before you act on it. Last reviewed: September 26, 2026.

Keep Reading

Related PMHNP Resources

Scope By State

Compare requirements across states on our PMHNP scope of practice by state overview.

Start A Practice

See the full sequence in how to start a PMHNP practice.

Credentialing

Learn what we handle on our PMHNP credentialing page, or visit the PMHNP services hub.